Student film makers Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud) and Johanna (Johanna Morck) set out to shoot a documentary about bear-hunting in Norway and trail mysterious loner and well trained hunter Hans (Otto Jesperson) Originally Thomas and Johanna believe Hans to be a poacher, but soon find out he's a government-sanctioned operative protecting the country from giant Trolls. Hans is tired of being alone so decides to let the crew film his battles against the monsters.
Ovredal has showed great talent in mixing laughs with action and perfectly timed horror that unfortunately loses some of its charm once you see the trolls. But never the less it's still an enjoyable film that was made on a relatively low budget but still looks epic in all the right places. It'd be interesting to see what Ovredal will do with a Hollywood budget (that'll surely come sooner, rather then later). It's rumoured that Ovredal got the idea after the Prime Minister of Norway let slip that pylons are necessary in the country because 'Norway has trolls' (You actually see this clip at the end of the movie). Even though Troll Hunter is considered a horror I found it more funny then scary. Otto Jesperson does a great job in keeping a straight face and guiding the student film makers around troll infested territory. Troll Hunter is the type of film that builds up the big scenes with gimmicks such as the monster who waits under the bridge for Christian blood (Christians are trolls favourite snacks). When one of the film crew is found the be a true believer of God and meets an unfortunate end the crew hire a Muslim as a replacement.
Production designer Martin Grant and sound designer Baard Haugen have done a fantastic job in giving the film a student look whilst also putting in the special effects that wouldn't look out of place in a big summer blockbuster. The trolls really do look impressive and all seem to have an individual theme to them (one has three heads, the other is 200ft tall).The film lets Jesperson create a character but keeps the other characters off screen for most of the film, which is pretty much the same as other found footage film (Cloverfield may be the exception, maybe). The structure of the film is pretty much the same throughout the film with a troll turning up every 10 minutes or so. This is why the film loses some of it's initial excitement as it seems to go round in circles (find a troll, kill a troll, rest and repeat). What is good is that the monsters here seem to have more presence and character then most other monster films. Some people may even feel sorry for the trolls and may see the Norwegian government as the real villains of the film. Troll Hunter comes together well at the films finish, as Hans and the student filmmakers try to escape and then destroy a gigantic troll in a frantic chase across the frozen Tundra. Troll Hunter seems to have caught the imagination of film goers with it being successful all over the world. With Christopher Columbus rumoured to be interested in the remake, he'll have to come up with something special to surpass this. Troll Hunter isn't just for fan boys. Yes it starts to get repetitive towards the end but when the film is in full action mode, you can't help but be impressed.
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